The inventor of the early version modular synthesizer; a 10 metre cube and musical film about our connections to stars. Canada’s premier new music, art and technology festival – New Forms – takes over the city this weekend.

From September 12-15, Vancouverites will be exposed to electronic instruments such as Don Buchla’s Buchla 200e series Electric Music Box, a shiny, interactive cube made out of scaffolding and a musical film foray by seminal Detroit techno DJ Jeff Mills.

Held in venues like VIVO on Main Street, the Centre for Digital Media on Great Northern Way and galleries like Grunt and Equinox, the festival has something for design nerds, music historians and dance floor divas alike.

As always, the far out festival will be educational and fun with multiple interactive conferences and panel discussions not to mention some serious booty-shaking evening engagements.

Highlight of this year’s New Forms include attractions for the culturally adventurous, techno-heads and psychedelic literature lovers. Donald Buchla – 50 years ago, Berkeley-based designer and instrument builder Buchla began constructing his first electronic musical instruments. Buchla will peform at VIVO Media Arts Centre on Friday September 13. The performance is accompanied by an extensive exhibition of the most complete collection of Buchla instruments in existence.

Daniel Wang – Berlin-based, Dr. Robert Moog collaborator, musician Daniel Wang will bring his special brand of disco to the last installment of Special Summer Series at New Brighton Park on Sunday, September 15.

Lars Bang Larsen – Explore our concepts of time, get groovy. Psychedelic art expert and historian from the University of Copenhagen, Larsen will give a lecture at the Western Front on Saturday, September 14. Curator of exhibits such as the “Radical Enlightenment: A Symposium on Cybernetics and the Soul” at the Palais de Tokyo, Larsen completed his PhD dissertation on the subject of psychedelic art and culture of the 1960s and its international dissemination.

Resident Advisor Exchange with Lee Gamble – Ever wondered what goes into a podcast? Well you can watch a podcast style interview hosted by online electronic music mag Resident Advisor (RA). RA columnist Andrew Ryce will chat with London-based music producer Lee Gamble about the current trends in music, promotion and arts.

Some of Vancouver’s best, emerging electronic acts: Evy Jane, Frank Grimes, Kline, Neu Balance, Pender Street Steppers and many more will perform at various venues throughout the festival.

Inside Vancouver is a multi-author blog, written by Vancouverites about Vancouver. Our goal is to give an insider’s view of Vancouver, to provide information, stories and opinions from the locals’ perspective about this great city.